Chinatown Restaurant Week to feature 18 eateries with off-menu specials and prix-fixe deals
Photo by Saul Macias on Unsplash
A week-long culinary festival in New York City will highlight the unique flavors and stories behind some of Chinatown’s best restaurants. Hosted by Welcome to Chinatown from May 19 through May 24, Chinatown Restaurant Week includes 18 neighborhood restaurants, from long-standing favorites like Hop Kee and Jing Fong to newer innovative additions shaping the future of Chinatown’s food scene. Each will offer prix-fixe menus and special dishes available exclusively during the event.
Ten of the participating establishments are only offering dine-in service, with reservations required. These include:
The Original Buddha Bodai
5 Mott Street
Offering a creative blend of traditional Chinese cooking and high-quality kosher and vegan ingredients, the $45 prix-fixe menu includes a fully vegetarian lineup: a dim sum sampler, shark fin soup, salt and pepper fried “ribs” with steamed rice, sautéed string beans, dessert zongzi, and a choice of iced jasmine fruit tea or fruit seltzer.
Hop Kee Restaurant
21 Mott Street
A mainstay of Chinatown since 1968, Hop Kee is known for serving some of the neighborhood’s most iconic dishes. Their $45 prix-fixe menu includes an egg roll starter, wonton egg drop soup, sautéed Chinese-style vegetables, roast pork egg foo young served with steamed white rice, classic beef lo mein, and a soft drink.
Jing Fong Restaurant
202 Centre Street
Known for their specialization in dim sum and Cantonese banquet-style cuisine, Jing Fong has been a staple of the Chinatown community since 1978. Its $70 prix-fixe menu showcases some of the restaurant’s signature favorites, including steamed scallop with garlic and vermicelli, typhoon-style pumpkin and mushroom fritters, Chilean sea bass with black bean sauce, shiitake mushroom longevity noodles, a choice of sesame ball or egg tart for dessert, and either red wine or jasmine tea lager to drink.
Phoenix Palace
84 Bowery
Established by the same team behind Potluck Club, Phoenix Palace celebrates Cantonese cuisine while drawing inspiration from some of the owner’s childhood favorite dishes. The restaurant’s $55 prix-fixe menu includes olive yao tiew with lap cheung and fig jam, a choice of salt and pepper cuttlefish or chicken wings, chili crab noodles or duck breast, and a chef’s choice dessert.
Ming Wong Restaurant
61 Mott Street
Offering some of the most beloved dishes from traditional Cantonese cuisine, Ming Wong’s $40 prix-fixe menu includes dried shrimp and scallion rice crepes, pork and thousand-year-old egg congee, fried cruller, soy sauce chow mein, a house-special Cantonese roast meat sampler, and a choice of iced lemon tea, milk tea, or a soft drink.
Nha Trang One + Sugarcane Daddy
87 Baxter Street
Nha Trang One offers a selection of authentic Vietnamese dishes on its $55 prix-fixe menu. Enjoy stir-fried hollow vegetables, house-special fried calamari with dipping sauce, Bún bò Huế (a Hue regional spicy noodle dish with pork), a Vietnamese-style flan topped with espresso beans for dessert, and a choice of Lucky Buddha Beer or fresh sugarcane drink as a beverage.
Tofu Tofu
96 Bowery
A Korean food staple in the heart of the Bowery, Tofu Tofu has been serving traditional fare since 2017. Their $45 prix-fixe menu includes five banchan side dishes, vegetable soontofu, sizzling bulgogi with rice, a kimchi pancake, and one Korean non-alcoholic beverage.
Wok Wok
11 Mott Street
Wok Wok brings some of the best Malaysian cuisine to Chinatown, drawing inspiration from the home-cooked meals of founder Erik Cheah’s parents and grandparents. Their $20 prix-fixe menu features roti flat bread with curry dipping sauce, curry laksa noodles with shredded chicken & shrimp, and house-made Thai iced tea.
Round K
78 Canal Street
Serving as an innovative Korean-inspired cafe and experimental bar and eatery by night, the Round K offers creative reimaginings of classic Korean dishes. Their $55 prix-fixe menu features house-made banchan, Tteokbokki, and a jajang myun with bone marrow and table-smoked lard as a main course.
Nyonya
119 Grand Street
Featuring Malaysian-Chinese cuisine, Nyonya is a staple of Chinatown’s vibrant food scene, known for its bold flavors that flaunt the distinctiveness of Malaysian cooking. The $45 prix-fixe menu includes roti canai with curry dipping sauce, chow keuh teow, string bean stir fry, nasi lemak, bubar cha cha, and a choice of Malaysian iced tea, coffee, or coconut juice.
Eight of the restaurants offer quick walk-in service with no reservations required. These include:
Fong On
81 Division Street
A Chinatown mainstay for nearly a century, Fong On has been serving Toisanese staples like tofu, soy milk, noodles, and rice cakes since 1933. Their $16 set meal highlights these beloved traditions with sweet or savory tofu pudding, a choice of white, brown, ginger, or matcha rice cake, and a drink selection of prunelle or soy milk.
K-Kimbap
98 Mott Street
Inspired by owner Yoori’s grandmother’s traditional Korean restaurant in Seoul and her passion for offering fresh, healthy meals, K-Kimbap has become known for its handmade kimbap using natural ingredients. Their $18 set meal features jia-jian rice, spicy kimbap, and a choice of soft drink.
Maxi Noodles
68 Mott Street
Founded by Maxi Lau-O’Keefe, this eatery was created to honor the owner’s late mother’s dream of opening a restaurant. As part of Chinatown Restaurant Week, their special includes a variety of add-ons to complement your meal, such as fried baby wontons for $10, curry fishballs for $7, and fried fish skin for $9.
Mee Sum Cafe
26 Pell Street
Cherished by Chinatown residents and visitors alike since 1967, Mee Sum Cafe offers affordable and traditional Cantonese comfort food in a nostalgic, diner-like setting. Their $13 set meal includes two pieces of dim sum (har gaw & siu mai), a Toisan-style salted chicken rice box, and a small lemon ginger drink.
Taiwan Bear House
11 Pell Street
Founded in 2015 after owner Kris Kuo noticed a lack of Taiwanese representation in Chinatown’s culinary scene, Taiwan Bear House has become known for its authentic Taiwanese bento boxes. Their $20 set meal includes lu rou fan, a choice of crispy chicken or Taiwanese sausage, and a Coke or Diet Coke.
The Little One
150 East Broadway
The Little One is a minimalist dessert shop specializing in Japanese-inspired treats like kakigōri and monaka ice cream sandwiches. Founded by Chinatown natives Eddie Zheng and Olivia Leung, the shop draws inspiration from their culinary travels through Japan. Their $25 seat meal features a small Japanese shaved ice, a slice of burnt matcha cheese cake, and a choice of matcha or a Hojicha latte to drink.
Tada
70 Bayard Street
The sister store of fellow Chinatown Restaurant Week participant Tofu Tofu, Tada specializes in Korean fried chicken. Their $20 set meal includes two pieces of fried mandus, three pieces of crispy Korean fried chicken, a side of small kimchi fried rice, and a choice of one Korean drink.
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